Both Eyes Open
by One Fine Wire
Summary: Keep both eyes open, for then you'll see twice as far.


**Both Eyes Open**

"Oh, and Thomas, you've been a slip-shot sailor and a poor excuse for a soldier. Don't disappoint me again," Governor Ratcliffe said coldly to Thomas before turning to walk back into the Jamestown camp. Thomas looked down at the rifle Ratcliffe threw to him earlier and sighed dejectedly. He wanted to leave the instant Ratcliffe threw him that rifle, demanding that he shoot any "savage" who crossed his path, but his feet wouldn't move. He simply stayed rooted to the ground while the governor put him down and demanded that he follow Captain John Smith to wherever he was "sneaking off to."

John caused controversy earlier in the evening, when he objected to Ratcliffe's plan to fight the so-called "savages". He said that they could help them navigate the rivers, show them the land, and provide food for them. He also revealed that he met an Indian who told them that there was no gold to be found. Ratcliffe wasn't pleased with what John said, but that didn't stop him from defying the governor, telling him that the land belonged to the Indians, and not to them. Not even Ratcliffe's threats to hang anyone for treason didn't stop the brave captain from sneaking out of the camp in the dead of night, most likely to spend time with his new Indian friend.

Again, Thomas looked down at the rifle and began walking from the camp and into the unknown. The night was dark and starless, and he felt humiliated and angry. Who was Ratcliffe to say that Thomas was a horrible sailor and soldier? _He _was the one bending over backwards to find gold that potentially didn't exist. _He _was the one slaving away either in the blazing sun or the freezing rain to build Jamestown, while Ratcliffe sat in his tent all day, relaxing and gaining weight as Thomas and the other settlers grew skinnier by day. Ratcliffe made plans, but never executed them, unless it pertained to his own glory. Despite this, many of the settlers believed that the governor was right about the Indians having _their _gold, while others grew skeptical. Surely Ratcliffe wouldn't have brought them clear across the world, away from their homes and families, for nothing! The Indians must've been hiding the gold if they attacked the settlement.

Thomas stopped momentarily, deep in thought. "_We _fired the first shot," he said quietly to himself.

The young settler wanted to believe that there was gold to be found here in this new land, that his coming here would actually be of use to him and his family. At first, he wanted to believe what he'd been told – that the Indians couldn't be trusted, and that they had all the gold and were purposely keeping it from the settlers, but like the others, he found himself feeling skeptical.

"Were they trying to defend themselves?" he wondered aloud.

As he continued walking, he became more uncertain of what Ratcliffe's _true _motives were. If there was no gold in Jamestown, then Ratcliffe would most likely find another project for the settlers to do while he just sat on his enormously large ass all day holding that stupid little dog of his as he barked orders to this overzealous servant – all while everyone else worked hard for something that wouldn't truly benefit them. Most settlers wanted glory, riches, and stability for themselves and their family. Ratcliffe wanted it all for himself and didn't want to do a day's worth of work to get it. Rumors often flowed throughout the camp about how Jamestown was his final chance to prove himself of worth to King James. There were also rumors of how much the people at court detested the pompous governor; Thomas now saw how, and why, those rumors got circulated outside of court – they were true, after all.

Wanting to prove oneself wasn't a bad thing – that was one of the reasons Thomas came to Jamestown. But using others to do it wasn't right, either. Thomas looked down at the rifle for the third time. Ratcliffe was wrong about everything.

Almost everything.

…

Shortly after the brief skirmish with the Indians, Ratcliffe walked up to Thomas and snarled, _"__A man's not a man unless he knows how to shoot," _while looking down at him with his beady little eyes. He walked away, and all the men celebrated their victory against the "savages" while Thomas felt stupid. He didn't know how to shoot a rifle, let alone aim one. He felt so inadequate, knowing that he didn't contribute anything, knowing that because of his incompetency, that he wasn't a _real _man.

The governor was wrong about a lot of things, but he was right about that one thing – a man _wasn't _a man unless he knew how to shoot a gun the proper way. Thomas had grown up hearing that his entire life, but Jamestown was the very first time he'd actually held a rifle. It wasn't his fault he never had access to one before until now. It wasn't his fault that he'd spent his entire life in poverty and that his father barely made enough money to put food on the table. Growing up in an environment like that, there was no way Thomas would've had the opportunity to get into such close proximity with a rifle. Since the incident with the Indians, the young settler took every opportunity he had to improve his aim, to prove he was a true man.

…

He stopped when he approached a long row of green vines that led to a glade. He separated the vines with the tip of his rifle and squinted into the distance, gasping at the sight before him.

John stood, his arms intertwined around a young woman with long black hair and a copper complexion. Her arms were also around him tightly, and the two were kissing. Passionately.

John was in love with an Indian woman, and she loved him back. This explained everything – why he didn't care that he missed out on fighting the Indians earlier, why he didn't want to instigate a battle, why he wanted to give these "savages" a fair chance. He was in love, and he'd do anything to be with her, even if it meant death by hanging.

Suddenly, a loud, piercing scream rang out through the glade, and an Indian man, with shoulder length black hair, the same, copper complexion as the young Indian woman, ran out from the brush and tackled John to the ground, trying to attack him in any way possible. As Thomas ran from behind the vines, and clumsily across the small river, igniting the back of the firing pin, John was pushed to the ground, putting up his own against the Indian by using his own body and a single stick as a means of self-defense. Meanwhile, the woman screamed at the Indian man, trying to get him to leave John alone, but she, too, was pushed to the ground. After a while, John was able to get up, but when the Indian man pulled out a small, sharp dagger, aiming it at John's neck, he was pushed to the ground again. Thomas loaded his rifle quickly, aiming it, preparing to shoot.

John lay on the ground, holding the Indian man's wrists, trying to push them away from him; the man held his dagger, and was pointing it at John's neck. Again, the young Indian woman got behind the Indian man, screaming at him, attempting to get him away from John. The dagger was getting closer to John's neck, and Thomas knew that he'd have to take action. His rifle was aimed, and he had one eye closed.

…

"_Keep both eyes open – you'll shoot twice as far," _John advised Thomas as he was practicing his aim. Not that he'd get the chance to shoot; Ratcliffe would never let him get involved in a fight between the settlers and the Indians again. Still, it was good advice. He saw better when he kept both eyes open.

…

Thomas took a deep breath and aimed the gun at the Indian man. _"Both eyes open," _he said quietly to himself, before pulling the trigger.

When he pulled the trigger, a loud bang was heard, and the force of shooting the rifle took him back slightly. A look of shock crept upon the Indian man's face, and he fell backwards into the river. The Indian woman rushed in after him, looking for any signs of life upon the Indian man's vacant face.

"_Thomas!" _John was now standing on the ground, staring at the sight before him in shock. His eyes darted from the Indian man, who nearly killed him, now floating dead, in a river, the Indian woman he was in love with, concern on her face, and at Thomas, holding the rifle that he'd used to shoot the Indian man with.

"Is he –" Thomas asked, looking at the dead man in disbelief. _"__I just killed a man. I shot somebody," _he thought, slightly frantic. _"__I killed somebody!"_

"You killed him," the woman said coldly, after turning to Thomas. Their eyes met briefly – no wonder John was in love with her. She was beautiful, with large, dark brown eyes and full lips. She looked devastated at the sight of the dead Indian man, yet she was in love with John too. Perhaps the Indian man had been a good friend of hers. They were still staring at each other when she shouted at him, _"Get away from him!"_ She started running toward Thomas, anger glinting in her eyes, when John stopped her.

"Pocahontas, it won't help!" he said. "He was only trying to –"

Her name was Pocahontas, and she spoke English. Thomas breathed deeply, trying to process everything – first he killed somebody, and then he met an Indian who could speak English. He was a "man" now, but he didn't feel like one.

He felt far from it.

"But I thought – " Thomas started, looking to this Pocahontas, to John, for help. If not Pocahontas, then surely John would understand why he'd shot the Indian man, right?

"_He killed him!"_

The young settler was still breathing heavily, again, processing everything that just happened. "_I'm a murderer," _he thought to himself, trying to catch his breath. Just then, he heard more Indians shouting. They were coming.

"Thomas, get out of here," John growled darkly.

But the young settler didn't move.

"_Get out of here!" _John nearly shouted, cocking his head toward where the vines were.

This time, Thomas did as he was told. He took off running, feeling like a coward. He knew the savages came after John. He didn't see them arrest, or take John way back to their village, grabbing his hair, putting his arms around his back, holding his wrists tightly, controlling his every move, but the young settler knew that it happened. He knew that John would be punished for what he did – for killing a man.

…

By Ratcliffe's standards, Thomas was now a true man because he knew how to shoot. He was sure that Ratcliffe would probably hold him in the highest esteem because he killed a "savage". Now, however, Thomas didn't feel like a man, he felt extremely low. The fact that John took the fall for him and would most likely be punished for something Thomas did brought genuine guilt to his soul.

Ratcliffe was wrong about everything – a man wasn't a man because he knew how to shoot. John was more of a man than the governor, than Thomas, than any of the men in Jamestown were, or ever could aspire to be. John not only took the fall for Thomas' action, but he was a leader, someone who took initiative, yet was still a good person. Ratcliffe fit none of those qualities. The lazy, arrogant governor was far from being a true man. He wasn't a man though he claimed to be one. For now on, Thomas would decide for himself the qualities that made a man. Only he could determine that.

When Thomas saw that he was approaching Jamestown, he started shouting for help. He had to save John, and he had to get everyone else to agree. John already took the fall for Thomas, and he'd do the same thing for any of the other men in the camp. He'd save Thomas, he'd save everyone else if they were in the same predicament as he was. Thomas needed to return the favor by informing the men of John's capture and by riling the troops to save him.

That, he felt, was the manliest thing he could do at the moment.


End file.
